Process for rendering textiles, fibers, and the like water-repellent



Patented- Dec. 3, 946

PROCESS FOR RENDERING TEXTILES, FI- BERS, AND THE LIKE WATER-REPEL- LENT Winfrid Hentrich, Rodleben, near Dessan-Rosslau, Anhalt, and Richard Hueter, Dessau-Rosslau, Anhalt, Germany, assignors, by mesne as- 'signments, to Heberlein Patent Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York .No Drawing. Application November 29, 1938, Serial No. 242,916. In Germany December 4,

8 Claims.

Other compositions render the fibers and the like waterproof but lose their water-repellent characteristics when they are cleaned with commercial cleaning agents. Some of the compositions are, in other respects, impractical either because they are too expensive or the processes of producing them are too involved. A desirable waterrepellent should be cheap, stable against organic cleaning fluids, and should not adversely afiect the life of the material treated, and if possible, should improve the handle and other properties of the textiles.

It is an object of this invention to provide an inexpensive and stable water-repellent for the treatment of textiles, fibers and the like. Another object of the instant invention is to provide a water-repellent which can be made commercially available, is easy to prepare, and is capable of improving the properties of the fibers treated in addition to rendering them water-repellent. Yet another object of the invention is to provide fibrous materials which are water-repellent and at the same time stable in storage and resistant to deterioration. It is also a purpose of the invention to provide processesfor treating textiles, fibers and the like resulting in the water-repellent becoming permanently attached to the'treated material.

It has been found that textile materials, fibers, and the like of all types, such as wool, cotton,

cellulose wool, silk, rayon, hemp, in the form of threads, skeins, or in woven form; also paper, sheeted cellulose, leather, fur and the like can be made water-repellent by treating said materials with higher molecular ethenones or ketenes and subjecting them to mild heat treatment.

A satisfactory method for producing the ketenes for use in this invention is described in the related application of Richard Hueter, a coappjicant of the present application, said related use of solutions having concentrations of 1% to 3% depending upon the type of the ketene and application being filed concurrently herewith and now issued as Patent No. 2,383,863. In this other application the ketenes are described as being obtained by the treatment of higher molecular carboxylic acid halogenides with strong tertiary bases. This method of producing the ketenes has an advantage in that the reaction may be efiectively carried out in thepresence of organic solvents, and after the reaction is completed, the hydrohalides of the amines formed can easily be separated to provide a solution of the ketenes in the organic solvent, which solution is immediately available for treating textiles and the like in accordance with the process of the instant invention. Such procedure eliminates the expense of separating the ketenes from the organic solvents, and materially lessens the costs of rendering the fibers water-repellent. It is to be understood, however, that the invention in its broader concepts is not limited to ketenes derived from any particular source or by any particular method of treatment, for ketenes obtained by the treatment of higher molecular alpha-bromcarboxylic acid bromides with zinc or by other known methods may also be used.

Higher molecular ketenes suitable for the purposes of the instant invention include primarily those containing at least 6 carbon atoms in the molecule, such as for example, butyl, capryl,.

lauryl, and cetyl ketenes, and other ketenes such as those derived from montanic acid, naphthenic acid and the like. Ketenes derived from nuclear alkylated aryl fatty acids and from polybasic carboxylic acids such as adipic acid, sebacic acid, cyclohexane diacetic acid and the like are also satisfactory. The hydrocarbon chains of the ketenes may be uninterrupted or they may contain heteroatoms or heteroatomic groups, such as, oxygen, sulfur, and the like.

These ketenes are used by dissolving them in organic solvents, as, for example, benzine, carbon disulfide, carbon tetrachloride, and the like, and then treating the fibrous materials to be impregnated with these solutions by dipping them, soaking them, wetting them, as by spraying, or any like method that results in a. thorough permeation of the materials. The concentration of the impregnating solutions may be varied to suit. the method of application chosen or the specific materials selected, but impregnating solu--' tions generally should have a concentration of 0.5% to 8%. ordinary operations require the the results soughtthroush the impregnation.

3 After the impregnation the solvent is removed by any suitable process and may be recovered for future use. Then the impregnated materials are subjected to a heat treatment 'or baking substantially in the absence of a solvent, ordinarily at a temperature of about 110 to 120 0., and for a period which causes the ketenes tobecome firmly affixed to the materials treated. -The materials treated in this manner have good water-repellent properties.

Example 1. A 2% solution of cetyl ketene in benzine is prepared and thereafter rayon satin is soaked therein for a period of about 20 to 30 minutes. The rayon is thereupon removed from the solution, wrung out (thereby recovering the solvent), subjected to a preliminary drying and then subjected to a heat treatment at 110 C. By this treatment, the rayon is impregnated with a water-repellent agent. which is stable against dry cleaning solvents and against washing with soap. The threads are not deteriorated by this process.

Example 2.A woolen material is saturatedv with a 5% benzine solution of a ketene mixture obtained from oocoanut oil fatty acids. After removing the solvent, the woolen material is subsence of a solvent with a higher molecular ketene containing at least 6 carbon atoms, to produce water-repellence in said material.

3. A process for rendering textiles, fibers and like material water-repellent which comprises heating such, material substantially in the ab-.

sence of a solvent with a higher molecular alkyl a substituent aliphatic radical of at least 4 carbon atoms in a liquid vehicle, removing excess if any of said vehicle and heating the so-treated mate-; rial substantially in the absence of a solvent, whereby the fibrous material becomes water- .repellent substantially without changing the fibrous structure of the material.

5. Process for rendering textiles, fibers and like material water-repellent which comprises. im-

jected to a heat treatment at 110 C. Upon com- 1. A process for renderingtextiles, fibers and like material water-repellent which comprises treating such material with a higher molecular ketene containing a substituent hydrocarbon radical of at least 4 carbon atoms, and heating substantially in the absence of a solvent to produce water-repellence therein.

2. A process for rendering textiles, fibers and like material water-repellent which comprises heating such material substantially in the abpregnating such material with an ethenonecontaining an open chain substituent hydrocarbon radical having at least four carbon atoms and baking the impregnated material substantially in the absence of a solvent until water-'repellency is obtained.

6. Process for rendering textiles, fibers and like material water-repellent which comprises impregnating such material with a higher molecular ethenone containing a monovalent aliphatic substituent radical of from 4 to 27 carbon atoms and baking the impregnated material until waterrepellency is obtained.

7. Process for rendering textiles, fibers and like material water-repellent which comprises impregnating such material with a higher molecular ethenone containing a monovalent aliphatic hydrocarbon substituent of 14 carbon atoms and baking the impregnated material until. waterrepellency is obtained.

8. Process for rendering textiles, fibers and like material water-repellent which comprises impregnating such material with a higher molecular ethenone containing a monovalent aliphatic hydrocarbon substituent of 10 carbon atoms and baking the impregnated material until waterrepellency is obtained.

WINFRID HENTRICH. RICHARD HUETER. 

